A judge previously ruled the shooting violated Ellis’ Fourth Amendment rights. Now a jury is being asked to put a monetary value on an Iraq War veteran’s life.

Ellis was shot by Albuquerque detective Brett Lampiris-Tremba in 2010. The defendant's team said evidence shows a situation where police believed they were in imminent danger because Ellis was agitated and armed.

However, attorneys representing the Ellis family said the veteran and Purple Heart recipient held the gun to his own head and said he didn’t want to hurt anyone but himself.

They also said officers on scene didn’t do enough to diffuse the situation.

Officer Trey Economiddy took the stand after opening statements. He was present during the incident. Prosecution drilled him on his training, focusing on if he had been taught how to deal with suspects with mental illness.

Ellis had post-traumatic stress disorder.

The defense asked the jury to consider that Ellis was unemployed, saying he had anger management issues that prevented him from working with others. They also pointed out Ellis was on probation at the time of the shooting.